Clean Install Guide (works for 32-bit or 64-bit)

is it just me? or is the drivers&download page down?

 

The guide will be useful to you because it will walk you through the installation process and the loading of drivers, etc... ABR will not work for you though, so you will just need to use the key for Ultimate when you get to that part.

PS. It is worth it to use ABR to backup your "basic" key and activation anyway, in case in the future you might want to restore Vista and sell the laptop to someone else.

 

I planning on ordering a T61 soon but I'm being held back by issues with BSOD and whatnot. Is this guide basically made so you don't loose your activation key because you can't load vista again, or is it so you don't loose drivers? I have a Vista CD with allows for unlimited number of installs, as it doesn't require activation. If I just reinstall Vista once I get my T61, will I still be able to download all needed drivers and be able to have the same effect as clean installation without loosing anything and ridding myself of the increased possibility of BSODs?

 

Some things you say need some clarification.

First is the "unlimited installs" thing. All Vista discs are identical, except maybe the "Enterprise" version which I have not seen. If the disc does not ask you for a key or activation, it has probably been either:
a) modified to use the unattended process to restore an OEM license key and activation
b) is a hacked version in some other way

In the case of "a", that will only work if the activation is for an OEM system and you are installing on *that* OEM system (and also is only legal if you have purchased a license for it). In the case of "b", get rid of that disc and don't use it as you also have no idea what other changes could have been made to it.

Next is: "just reinstalling to get the same effect as a clean install without losing anything". That needs some clarification. Do you plan on re-installing Vista on top of the already existing install (without formatting the drive first)?

If that's the case, any programs already installed on the computer will need to be reinstalled again. You can't do an install like that and have everything that's already there continue to work, because registry settings, etc... will be gone. Doing that basically makes your system more of a mess and potentially more unstable. A clean install where you format the drive during install to clean everything is the only way to go, as long as you follow the guide and backup all of your programs and data first.

As for the BSODs, what machine is that on? You said you don't have a T61 yet. Was this machine with the BSODs installed using your unlimited Vista disc? I think that needs more explanation, maybe in the "Windows OS and Software" forum.

 

I have a question in regards to the Rescue and Recovery discs. I started the process and ended up with 5 CD-Rs, "rescue and recovery start-up disc". "start recovery disc" "product recovery disc 1" "product recovery disc 2" " product recovery disc 3." For some reason the discs I am using will not let me load any information on to these types of discs. When I put a CD-R into the CD-RW drive a message box occurs saying....please understand these are brand new CD-Rs which came directly out of the package.

"error writing data to disc"
data was not successfully stored on the disc currently in your dirve.
the disc may no longer be usable.

click ok then insert a new disc when prompted.​

I have a quick question in regards to a disc for Vista. I got Vista Business on the T61 from the factory, would it be ok to use a Vista Home Premium 32 Bit DVD Installation Disc (from a Dell XPS M1530) to get a clean install of Vista Business?

 

All Vista discs contain all versions of Vista. There is no "Home Premium" disc, just a "32-bit" disc. When you go through the install it will ask you what version you want to install.

 

Okay. Thanks for the help just making sure.

Do you have any idea about the R&R discs?

 

For the most part, this guide can be followed for XP too, right?

 

If you need a guide for XP, you could use the one in my signature. Some of the drivers Vista needs, XP doesn't.

 

I went through the clean install guide and it worked great. Thanks for your time stallen and others.

But I have a few questions. The guide is very specific about the order of installing drivers. What is the particular reason for this? Also, I'm sure it doesn't matter, but will putting the computer to sleep and then resuming between steps 3 and 4 affect anything? Finally, what impact does updating the Windows Experience Index have? I forgot to update it right after step 4 and ended up updating it only after Windows had done its own updates. Any problems with that?

Thanks again for the time put into this guide. It was really useful.

 

Hi all,

I'm currently running Vista Ultimate x64. I went to make recovery discs for it and could not find the program. Is it because Vista Ultimate does not include the program? I know they have a program that allows you to back up you whole hard drive and thought that maybe this was the reason, but after thinking about it a while, I came to the conclusion that it doesn't make sense. Assuming Vista Ultimate does have this capability, where can I find it? I would like to make some recovery discs just in case I ever need to do a clean install again.

 

Recovery discs are made or provided by the OEM, they are not part of Windows. Vista ultimate comes with Complete PC Backup which can make a backup image of your computer, which is really what you want.

The term "Recovery Discs" only refers to the discs that you get from your OEM (or you burn them using their tools), and usually includes all of the bloatware that came with your system.

You may find my clean install guide helpful, as it includes all of this information: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228

 

Thanks, Orev.

 

My T61 just arrived and I wanted to do a clean install, but it came with no media. What should i do? Should i try to request a Anytime Upgrade DVD from Lenovo?

 

They have pretty much stopped giving out the Anytime Upgrade discs. You might want to take a look at my clean install guide (in my sig) which has a section on options for obtaining the install media.

 

I am looking thru your guide and i found a HIDDEN folder in:

Computer -> SW_Preload C: -> WAUUGRD

it has files and folders such as:
boot
efi
sources
support
upgrade
autorun
bootmgr
bootmgr.efi
setup.exe

When i click on setup.exe to double check, the Windows Installation window pops up. So i believe i hit the jackpot and the windows install image is already on the computer!!

But i tried installing vlite on the laptop, and when I run the program, Vista says:

Unable to execute file
C:\Program Files (x86) \ vLite\vLite.exe
CreatProcess failed; code 940
the requested operation requires elevation

Can i just burn the WAUUGRD folder directly into a DVD using the stock vista burner program ?

 

I have run into a weird situation where I install Vista Business 64-bit from a disc image found on MyDigitallife blog (from MSDN I believe).
I used Orev's ABR tool to to extract the certificate and the key when I first got my T61 that came pre-loaded with Vista Business 32-bit.
However, when I install the 64-bit from the new disc, import the activation certificate and try to arm the license I get a message that says something like "Cannot connect to the server". If I enable connection to the Internet, then I get a message like "Key already in use". (using the slui command as suggested by the prompt that comes up).
If I enter the key that Orev's tool extracts, it works fine.

Any ideas?

 

Yup, looks like you have it on your system. It looks like vLite won't run because it needs admin rights. Right-click on the vLite icon, then select "run as administrator". That should do it. If it does not, download and install vLite again.

You can only do one or the other, and since ABR is working, why are you trying to activate online? Just use ABR and forget about online activation.

PS. The key that was saved by ABR will not activate online or by phone.

 

Now my memory comes back to me... I was trying to do an Ultimate install and used a tool that may have modified the SLIC table.

• Is the extracted xrm-ms file tied to a specific SLIC table configuration?
• If so, would a BIOS update fix this? Although, applying the latest BIOS update from Lenovo doesn't seem to have fixed this issue.
• I am guessing that there is no way to go back to the original SLIC table configuration if I somehow messed it up?

BTW, when I get prompted to provide an activation key (because the arm license phase fails), if I put the key that ABR tool generated, it works!

 

Sorry, I can't comment on anything about modified SLIC tables. 1) I don't know enough about them, and 2) forum rules prevent talking about piracy, which is the only reason one would try to modify the SLIC tables.

My recommendation is that you reflash your BIOS with a known good one downloaded directly from Lenovo.

 

Understand; this was done using the data from another machine that I own, so no piracy there

Thanks for the responses.

 

hi , i am having this problem at step 4 ,12.

I am having this error "windows is unable to find a system volume that meets its criteria for installation" on the partition that i had selected .

I had search through the forum and would only find the guide for Dell's computer http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=157838

 

nvm guys manage to solved the problem . Didn't select the windows partition as active

 

Hi. I have just done another clean install. However under device manager i get a few errors that I just do not know what to do..

Here are a few pics..




thx

 

looks like you didn't install all of the drivers

did you install the correct chipset drivers? or the 4-in-1 card reader drivers?

i'd check to see if you installed the 4-in-1 card reader drivers before anything. it could be that.

 

Hi. I have the PC Card & Media Slot option. I think the correct driver from Lenono site is - SmartCard Reader? I will reinstall the driver again.

 

you either have the "PC Card Slot & Express Card Slot" or "PC Card Slot & Smart Card Slot" (which is extra when configuring a machine). There are 2 separate drivers for these.

I think the drivers for T61's and T61p's are the same, and i see in your sig that you're running a 64bit version of vista.

So, If you have the express card slot, get these drivers
If you have the SmartCard slot, get these drivers

 

synic, Thank you. You were right. I got confused with Express Card and Smart Card.

Thx for the link.

 

no problem

 

Just for future reference, I wanted to point out that the SmartCard reader is not the same as the 4-in-1 memory card reader. The driver you linked to is for the latter, but you list it as being for the SmartCard reader.

 

howdy, thanks for the great guide, a couple of questions:

edit for update:

1. [solved - don't know how] I formatted and followed the guide but my system does not seem to be able to sleep anymore (the option is greyed out). It is able to hibernate. What do I need to do to enable this? I tried changing the settings in powercfg to be able to sleep even while changing media but I still cannot sleep.

2. [solved - installed thinkpad software after realising its not so bad] Am I right in thinking that to be able to set the charge levels for my battery I have to install the thinkvantage power manager software?

3. Which piece of software do I need to make it so when I press Fn+F7 (screen) it brings up the menu that lets you select resolution setups?

4. [ongoing] Can someone recommend some wireless lan software to use? Specifically for connection to the eduroam network - this uses non-standard settings. Neither the vista default nor the thinkpad wireless manager seem to be able to handle this.

5. [fixed thanks to synic's post below] Finally, in device manager I still have 3 unknown "Base System Device"'s - any way I can tell what they are? They sit on PCI bus 21, device 0, function 3,4,5 respectively.

 

i'm pretty sure you need the thinkvantage power manager to set charge levels.

and as for the "base system devices," this is your express card slot or smartcard slot, depending on what you have. go back to the driver matrix page and download the "ricoh 4-in-1" driver if you have an express card slot, or the other driver if you have a smartcard slot.

 

thanks synic that did it.

Only real thing left to do now is fix the bloody wireless. I am trying to install this - as far as I can tell it is an updated version of the intel pro wireless software on the lenovo website.

However, does anybody know how to bring up the bloody window shown here? It is exactly what I need but I have no idea how to get to it after installing the drivers/software!

edit: also, I was reading somewhere (some link off the OP here I think) something about how the fingerprint reader was insecure because a bypass device could be trivially cheap and easy to build. For the life of me I can't find the info again however, does anybody have a link to (or know) what I'm talking about?

 

I have 2 questions about this proccess. Is it ok to not download the latest drivers and just use the ones that came with the computer, and then download the updated drivers after the OS has been reinstalled? Also, will Orev's ABR program work when an OS is changed from x86 to x64?

 

I have just reinstalled my X61 with x64 Vista Business, having come with x86 Vista Business, and yes, the ABR program works fine.

If you are changing to x64 you should get the latest 64bit versions, where applicable, from the Lenovo website. Install all the critical drivers as per the guide.
1. Chipset
2. Turbo Memory (if present on system, otherwise Matrox storage driver)
3. Audio
etc
I would recommend downloading Intel drivers directly as there may be minor compatibility issues. (The factory install prohibits install.)

Do restart after each and every important driver install and only think about using System Update for lesser ones.

I have noticed that functionality has increased with the new install, as the factory custom install did not permit me to see onscreen brightness guage and volume.

 

Thanks for the guide. Finally got my T61 reinstalled with Windows XP and everything runs fast and smooth.

The only problem I have is that the Advanced Mini Dock S/PDIF out does not seem to work. I can't/don't know how to get sound through the digital out, can't seem to find an option for it anywhere in Windows.

The Advanced Mini Dock seems to work because I can hook up my headphone and monitor to it and they work fine.

Anyone know a way to fix this? Thanks.

EDIT: Meant to post this in the XP Guide.

 

Odd thing/... my volume (On Screen Display) is not working(shown). HOwever I verified and I have installed the systerm interface driver.. anyone??

 

Thanks, but I am trying to follow this guide from my new Gateway . I can't seem to find 64 bit drivers on their web site but I think another member of the forums somehow used the drivers that came with the computer when it had 32 bit vista installed. I'll try my luck with it and reinstall from the recovery disk if I can't get it to work.

 

FYI. Issue resolved. Reinstalled HOTKEY.

 

Yes, you can switch from 32-bit to 64-bit using abr.

 

yesterday i did another clean install because i bought a new hard drive. i just used this guide as a reference this time, but as i was going along the control panel wouldn't open somtimes. i would click on it, the window would flash open for less than a second and then close, and then nothing happened. it would take 1, 2, or sometimes more reboots to be able to open up the control panel.

after searching around, i read that this might have something to do with nvidia video drivers, which sounds strange to me because when i did my first clean install when i first received my laptop, i never ran into an issue like this. and i'm also using the same nvidia video drivers now as i was before (174.74 from laptopvideo2go).

i also sorta found a solution to this problem. it was to go into the services and recycle the 2 services SLUNotify and Software Licensing. by default, the SLUNotify service was set to manual, so i set it to automatic, and i continued to restart the other service, and then the control panel, and anything else that wouldn't open, began working.

i even rebooted a few times and it still opened.

i don't really understand why this happened or why disabling/re-enabling these 2 services fixes this, but it did. i also don't know if its "bad" that i set the SLUNotify service to automatic, but hey, i can open the control panel, so whatever.

 

I'm trying to create the recovery discs but when I insert a disc it gives me an error saying "Drive is not ready or is busy performing another action." Any ideas?

Thanks,
Mark

 

I have a question for anyone.

I have completed about half of the clean install process and developed a problem. My problem is the Windows CD/DVD I am using doesn't show the current versions of Vista I am using. The windows screen goes straight from step 7 to step 11. Any ideas?

Also, in reference to the integrated card reader which driver do I download? I have a t61 with the standard card reader on the lower left hand side of the notebook, with the small grey button near it?

 

Hi,

I posted this separately, but didn't get any response so I'll try here. I've got a T61P that I purchased a couple of months ago. Hate the bloat, want to do a clean install.
I cannot seem to find the WAU folder on my computer. Since it looks like digitalriver is down, I'm wondering what other options exist. I checked some online retailers, and it doesn't look like anyone is selling the DVD without including a license upgrade. While I don't mind spending a couple of bucks for the DVD, I'm not paying what they want for an upgrade key just do the clean install.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I guess I could always use the BSA, but would rather not. Especially since I deleted my restore partition, so I would have to do a full recovery to use it.

 

Can I use a Dell OEM Vista Ultimate disk with integrated updates and SP1 combined into one disk for reformat?

Or should I get the OEM Vista Ultimate disk from Lenovo? How can that be done? And how much does Lenovo charge?

 

Take a look at my guide: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=120228 and look at the section called "OEM Re-Installation Disc".

 

Is making a recovery disk needed? It says that it would only be used if I would want it back to factory defaults. Becuase I did not get a dvd burner with my laptop, can I somehow put the files onto a external and then burn it on another computer?

 

It's the last line of defense and safety in case something goes wrong. If you can figure out a way to do it, then you should.

 

oh. I'll see if i can get it on my external. Another thing, where can I download vista . The link provided does not work.

hmm, my cousin has a subscription to mircosoft technet. Will it work if I use a downloaded copy of vista from there.

Also, how do I know if my system has turbo memory. I am on a T61

 

Hi Folks,

I'm about to begin a clean install and would like to do so by grabbing the three 64-bit Vista setup files from the hidden folder on my T61p at C:\WAUUPGRD\sources.

I see INSTALL.WIM and boot.wim, but not X13-49121.exe. However, when I group all of the remaining files in this folder, including setup.exe, I have the missing approx 80MB that makes up X13-49121.exe.

Can I create a bootable DVD from the files in C:\WAUUPGRD\sources?

If this is possible, then it would help everybody struggling to get the setup files now that the links appear to be permanently down, because this folder is on everyone's machine. ;-D

Thanks for your help... and a special thanks to Stallen and Orev!

Jeffrey